11 trends that you may see in web design solutions in 2017

With the development of new technologies, mobile gadgets become more powerful and able to store even more information. Therefore a lot of web designers turned their attention to creating user-friendly websites, which allow comfortable viewing information from any mobile device. This perhaps is the most notable trend of 2017, which sets the tone for all other popular features that we are ready to tell you about.

1. Mobile design

As of today, this is probably the most important trend in web design, which is mandatory for implementation in any high-quality project. The site should look equally good on all devices (monitors, laptops, smartphones and tablets) and at all resolutions. Keep in mind that search engines monitor the fact how well the site is adapted to different devices while determining its place in the search result.

Website design on different devices

2. Large and bold titles

While the world of web design is more and more focusing on content, we see a lot of inspiring headlines with large bold fonts. This is not the appearance of the headline that screams in your face but rather the fact that a significant part of the main screen is taken up by a simple, yet strong and self-sufficient statement about a product or service. Such title should describe the very essence and be easily understandable to any user. Nowadays people are constantly busy and overloaded with new information every day. Therefore such short, but powerful headlines work very well for any brand.

Large title on a Steve Madden website

3. Custom design

Templates are no longer popular. Just a few years ago it was common to use templates as it was much simpler and more efficient. But nowadays non-standard design solutions are more relevant. Companies now see the benefits of personalized sites designed specifically for their audience.

Custom design implies personalized icons, original illustrations, images and user-oriented features. Consumers are no longer satisfied with stock photos and templates. The more you focus on your target audience, the more specific will be their preferences. Custom design has become a necessity, not a luxury.

4. Illustrations

Another common web design trend is using illustrations instead of photos. Visual images instantly transmit the information to the user. Illustrations also help to establish stronger emotional ties, which is a key to the company seeking for customer’s loyalty.

Comparing to the photo image, illustrations allow the brand to have a better control over its theme and tone. It is also much easier to make changes or edit a visual image, rather than the photo. Illustrations provide more accurate atmosphere and dictate the specific positioning of the brand. And most importantly, there is also a pragmatic side to this trend, since developing an illustration is actually cheaper than making a photo or a video.

Colorful illustration

5. Infographics

Graphic representation of any information in a form of infographics is very popular and in high demand among users. The text accompanied by a beautiful picture or an icon along with stylish design elements make infographics aesthetically pleasing and attractive. Comparative infographics, such as “advantages/disadvantages”, looks especially interesting. This is a great solution for a step by step story or even a boring statistics.

SEO infographic

6. SVG

Scalable vector graphics (SVG) is another practical trend of 2017 as it has a lot of advantages for web designers comparing to traditional image formats like jpg, png or gif. Unlike other formats, which are based on raster and pixels, SVG images consist of mathematical descriptions of the shape of the objects – vectors. For that reason, SVG does not depend on the resolution and will look great on any screen and device. Web designers will not have to worry that the image might look blurry on the retina anymore. In addition, SVG images can be animated, which is always a plus.

7. Less options in the navigation menu

In 2016 many companies made a decision to redesign their websites and reduce the number of options in the navigation menu. 2017 forces web designers to concentrate only on the main and most important menu options. If previously the menu in the page header included from 5 to 7 options, now this number has dropped to 3-4. This approach makes it easier for the user to find needed information and avoids the “choice paralysis” situation.

8. Minimalism

Minimalism in web design means an emphasis on performance and usability. This trend takes typography, contrast and space very importantly. The main advantage of the minimalist approach to web design is its aesthetic appeal, which at the same time allows the website to be more technically effective.

In fact, minimalism is one of the best styles for viewing on mobile devices. The absence of certain elements, allows the site to load faster, which is critical for smartphone users. In addition, the fewer elements make the site look better on a small mobile screen and brings a little bit of sophistication.

Minimalistic website design

9. Letter stacking

Letter stacking is basically a text in a box. This is a great creative solution if you need to fit a long text into a tiny space. Letter stacking looks unique, pretty and very trendy in 2017.

Letter stacking examples

10. Animations

In the modern web design world static pages considered too boring. The user much more prefers to experience animated icons on the website. Companies usually use animation to draw customer’s attention to certain elements, for example, to the “buy” button. Designers also try to make mechanic actions more interactive and attractive to the user with the help of micro-integration. This way the user sees a response to his clicks, conversions or confirmation on the site.

11. No more hamburger menu

Hamburger menu has always had its main goal, which is to save space on the screen. But soon web designers faced another problem where this icon was not seen by every user and was affecting the smoothness of navigation. The user could not always immediately understand that the hamburger opens up a group of links. Therefore developers had to circle the icon to make it look more like button and sometimes even title it as a “menu”.

Instead of reducing the number of clicks on the page, the concept of hamburger menu led to an absolutely opposite effect: in order to go to the desired page, the user had to bring up the menu first and only then select the needed option. Such websites as YouTube and Twitter have long abandoned the hamburger menu, taking their navigation elements to the top and bottom of the page. This approach makes the navigation instant, saves the space on the screen and decreases the number of clicks to just one.